“Chris and Trish are not only masters of After Effects, but have the unique ability to translate that knowledge into step-by-step instructions that are easy to understand. After Effects Apprentice is a must-have trusted resource for any After Effects professional no matter what level of experience.” – Steve Forde, Group Product Manager, Adobe

After Effects Apprentice

4th Edition for After Effects CC

Release date February 2016.

We have also created a comprehensive video training series covering each of the lessons in the Apprentice series, including the final projects in the 2nd and 3rd Editions. (The new Lesson 12 in the 4th edition covering CINEMA 4D Lite will be released by lynda.com in Spring 2016. Updates covering new features introduced in After Effects CC will be released Summer 2016.)

If you just need to brush up on what’s new in recent versions of After Effects, we do offer separate online training courses covering the new features in CS5, CS5.5, CS6, and CC. See our Online Training page for details.

Whether you’re new to After Effects and want to get up to speed quickly, or already a user who needs to become familiar with the new features, After Effects Apprentice was created for you. With 12 core lessons, including a trio of projects combining After Effects with CINEMA 4D Lite, you’ll learn how to tap this program’s vast potential – whether you create motion graphics for network television, corporate communications, or your own projects.

Fully updated to cover the major new features added in After Effects CC, this edition of the book presents a professional perspective on the most important features a motion graphics artist needs to master in order to use After Effects effectively. You’ll learn to creatively combine layers; animate eye-catching titles; manipulate 3D space; color key, track or rotoscope existing footage to add new elements; and use effects to generate excitement or enhance the realism of a scene. Easy to follow, step-by-step instructions guide you through the features, with explanations of the “why” as well as the “how” behind each technique. You’ll learn more than just the tools; you’ll learn skills that you can immediately put to work expressing your own ideas in your productions.

Topics include how to:

Animate, edit, layer, and composite a variety of media.

Manipulate keyframes and the way they interpolate to create more refined animations.

Use masks, mattes, stencils, and blending modes to add sophistication to your imagery.

Create, animate, and extrude text and shape layers.

Explore 3D space, including using CINEMA 4D Lite.

Use tracking and keying to create special effects, such as replacing screen displays.

A companion website makes available for download all exercise source material and After Effects CC project files required to get the most out of this book (registration and proof of purchase required). Refer to the Getting Started chapter for details.

Important: We do not recommend the Kindle edition, as the layout is wonky...